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Why Do BART Announcements Sound Like That?

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A BART train stops at the Montgomery Station in San Francisco on Jan. 11, 2024. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

You know the sound: a robotic, ancient-sounding voice as you wait for BART: 6-car Blue line train for OAK Airport in 15 minutes. 

In America’s tech capital, why do BART announcements sound so old? In this episode from our friends at Bay Curious, reporter Ana De Almeida Amaral sets out to find the answer.


Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.

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